संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1475 of 4582

Abhanga 1475

For today: humility toward beings binds the Infinite; this is real śūratva — Hari has been brought; everything has become a deal — salt is the universal-cause; water is deep, but you must dig.

When you'd see what truly conquers Hari — humility toward beings binds the Infinite; this is real śūratva; salt-cause; water in pātāḷa requires digging

The verse

नम्र जाला भूतां । तेणें कोंडिलें अनंता ॥१॥ हें चि शूरत्वाचे अंग । हरी आणिला श्रीरंग ॥ध्रु.॥ अवघा जाला पण । लवण सकळां कारण ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे पाणी । पाताळ तें परी खणी ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: Namra became toward bhūtas — by that, kōṇḍilēm Ananta. This is the limb of śūratva — Hari has been brought, Śrī-ranga. Everything has become paṇa — lavaṇa is the kāraṇa to all. Tuka says: water — pātāḷa is, but you must khaṇī.

मराठी: नम्र — जाला — भूतां; — तेणें — कोंडिलें — अनंता. हें — चि — शूरत्वाचे — अंग; — हरी — आणिला — श्री-रंग. अवघा — जाला — पण; — लवण — सकळां — कारण. Tukā म्हणे — पाणी; — पाताळ — तें — परी — खणी.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
नम्र जाला भूतां "namra (humble) — has become — toward bhūtas"
तेणें कोंडिलें अनंता "by that — has confined / bound (kōṇḍilēm) — the Ananta"
हें चि शूरत्वाचे अंग "this very — is śūratva (= warriorhood)'s — anga (limb)"
हरी आणिला श्रीरंग "Harihas been brought (āṇilā) — Śrī-ranga"
अवघा जाला पण "everything (avaghā) — has become (jālā) — paṇa (= venture / agreement / deal)"
लवण सकळां कारण "lavaṇa (salt) — to all (sakaḷām) — kāraṇa (cause)"
तुका म्हणे पाणी "Tuka says — pāṇī (water)"
पाताळ तें परी खणी "pātāḷa (= deep / underworld) — that — but (parī) — dig (khaṇī)"

What it means

Humility-binds-the-Infinite abhang. A 4-verse cluster of formulations — each striking. The opening: namra jālā bhūtām — tēṇē kōṇḍilēm Anantā(one who has) become humble — toward bhūtas (= beings); — by that — has confined (kōṇḍilēm) — the Ananta (infinite, Hari). Humility-toward-beings binds the Infinite. (One of the most beautiful warkari-formulations: the Infinite is bound by humility-toward-creatures. Compare 1427's dayā-kṣamā-śānti-Devācī-vasati — same theme; humility-virtue brings Hari home.)

The warrior-image: hēm chi śūratvācē anga — Hari āṇilā Śrī-rangathis very — is śūratva's — limb; — Hari — has been broughtŚrī-ranga. Śūratva (= warriorhood) — surprising in this context — the true conqueror is the humble. Hari has been won by the humility, like a captive. (Striking inversion: the warrior-conquest is humility-not-aggression.)

The deal-image: avaghā jālā paṇa — lavaṇa sakaḷām kāraṇaeverything has become a paṇa (= deal / venture / pledge); — salt — is the cause — to all (foods). The paṇa-image: bhakti-as-the-deal-made (compare merchants' paṇa = goods or wager). Salt is the universal-cause (= the small thing without which nothing tastes; cf. 1474 anna-lavaṇa-rucī; back-to-back image).

The closing-counsel: pāṇī pātāḷa tēm parī khaṇīwater — pātāḷa (= deep / underworld) — butdig (khaṇī). Water is deep underground — but you must dig. (= bhakti's water lies deep; humility is the digging that reaches it.)

[T]

For someone today

For today: humility toward beings binds the Infinite; this is real śūratva — Hari has been brought; everything has become a deal — salt is the universal-cause; water is deep, but you must dig.

Where this applies

Related verses